


A Thousand Leagues From Where I Want To Be

by ariel2me



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 02:37:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15832023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariel2me/pseuds/ariel2me
Summary: Rhaella and Selyse, and the marriages they thought they could have.





	A Thousand Leagues From Where I Want To Be

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tywinning](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tywinning/gifts).



> I decided to delete my AO3 account back in April (for various reasons I won’t get into), but changed my mind after a while. A number of fics from 2012 and 2013 were already deleted, however, and I’m reposting some of them.
> 
> This one was written in 2013, and obviously the timeline for the Rhaella section is all sorts of wrong now, after the release of TWOIAF. According to TWOIAF, Joanna came to court to serve as Rhaella’s lady-in-waiting in 259 AC, so she couldn’t have been by Rhaella’s side before Rhaella’s marriage to Aerys. Also, when I wrote the fic, I didn’t know how young Rhaella was when she married Aerys, so I saw her interest in Bonifer not as the crush of a very young girl, but the feelings of a young woman. (God, I wish there were fewer marriages between very young people that were immediately consummated in ASOIAF!) And yes, back then, my headcanon was, like her brothers, Rhaelle married for love, another thing that has been proven wrong by TWOIAF. 
> 
> The name of the unnamed Princess of Dorne (Ariella) was a creation of joannalannister on Tumblr (http://joannalannister.tumblr.com/post/57918308242/hey-i-was-just-wondering-if-you-had-a-headcanon)  
> Lauren, I don’t think I mentioned that when I posted the fic back then, I’m really, really sorry. Thank you so much, and I hope you don’t mind me using the name <3

**Rhaella Targaryen**

Her aunt Rhaelle had married a lord from the stormlands. For love.

“A landed knight from the stormlands is almost as good, is it not?” Rhaella whispered to her bedmate and companion.  

Joanna’s face was inscrutable. It usually was. Rhaella was very fond of Joanna, but there were times when she missed Ariella with her more open disposition and less enigmatic temperament. Ariella Martell was gone from Rhaella’s side now. She had gone back to Dorne to rule as the Princess of Dorne after her father’s death.

“Lord Baratheon is not just _any_ lord. He rules all the stormlands.” Joanna’s tone was careful, and her eyes never left Rhaella’s face.

“And Ser Bonifer is not as good as Lord Baratheon, is that what you are saying?” Rhaella hated how defensive she sounded. But she _was_ feeling defensive, for her sweet knight, and for herself as well.  

“Ser Bonifer is good enough for many women, I am sure, but not for a princess of royal blood,” replied Joanna, unflinchingly.  

Rhaella had always prized this quality the most in Joanna Lannister – that she never flinched from telling unpleasant truths to those closest to her, if she believed that they needed to hear it for their own good. But tonight of all night, Rhaella would have preferred Joanna to be less her usual self, and more the agreeable, supportive companion. Rhaella sighed and turned her face away from her bedmate.

“But perhaps your grandfather could be prevailed upon to grant Ser Bonifer a lordship,” Joanna whispered, her hand gently brushing off the stray hair that had fallen over Rhaella’s right eyes.

Rhaella turned to face her bedmate once more, her hand clasping Joanna’s own. “Do you think so? Do you really think so, Joanna?”

“It would have to be a very minor lordship, to be sure, to avoid murmurs of discontent in court about the king playing favorites. But a minor lordship is still a lordship. His Grace is very fond of you, my princess.”

“Fond enough to let me marry for love?” Rhaella paused, considering her own question. “After all, Grandfather married for love himself. And all his children did the same, my own father included.”

Joanna said nothing.

“It matters not a whit to me if Ser Bonifer remains only a knight. I would be happy to be wed even to a landless knight, if only Ser Bonifer is that knight,” Rhaella confided.

A look passed through Joanna’s face, brief and too fleeting, but it had not gone unnoticed by Rhaella. “Do you doubt me, Joanna? Do you doubt my resolve?”

“No, I have no doubt that you believe what you said,” Joanna replied, her tone judicious.

“But?” Rhaella persisted.

“You are a princess, born and raised in the lap of privilege and luxury. Ser Bonifer’s circumstances and position are better than some knights, that is true enough, but his land is not plentiful and his keep is very small.”

“I could learn to make do. Truly, I could, Joanna.”

Joanna smiled. “I’m sure you could. But still, it will not hurt to encourage Ser Bonifer to perform some acts of valor and courage that would get him favorably noticed by the king. If he is raised to a lordship, that would make him a more suitable husband for a princess.”

That night, and many nights after, Rhaella dreamed of her gallant knight rescuing her father and grandfather from the blade of a Blackfyre pretender.

**____________________________**

**Selyse Florent**

“He is so very  _severe_. Lord Stannis, that is. Not the king. The king –”

Something in Delena’s voice caught Selyse’s attention. She turned around sharply to look at Delena. “The king? We are not talking about the king. We are talking about Stannis Baratheon, my betrothed.”

“It is a shame Uncle Alester could not arrange for you to have the king instead,” Delena whispered, and then started giggling. “He is like a king from the storybooks. So  _very_ brave, entirely charming, and very, very handsome.”

Selyse ignored Delena’s silly fantasies about Robert Baratheon. The king’s personal charm had not interested Selyse greatly.  _Handsome is as handsome does_ , she thought. She distrusted his easy smiles, his lively quips, his witty puns and japes, and most of all, his wandering eyes.

On the other hand … Queen Selyse. She could not truly say that the thought had never occurred to her. But Robert Baratheon was already married, and his brother Stannis was not. Uncle Alester was very pleased with the betrothal. “ _A king’s brother._ _You are to be married to a king’s brother, Selyse. My niece, the good-sister to King Robert. Even Mace Tyrell, with all the riches of House Tyrell and their pretension that Lords Tyrell are the ones most qualified to be named Lords Paramount of the Reach, could not manage that for his sisters.”_

“Will you stay in Dragonstone after the wedding?” Delena asked.

Selyse scoffed. “Of course not. Lord Stannis spends most of his time in King’s Landing, serving in the king’s small council. As his lady wife, my duty is to be by his side.”

Delena nodded. “Dragonstone must be a very grim and lonely place in any case. It’s a pity Lord Stannis does not rule Storm’s End instead.”

Selyse frowned. She did not like to be reminded of that. “He should have, if King Robert had followed the letter of the law,” Selyse snapped. But no matter. Her future husband was able, aye, more than able, and very talented besides. His brother would surely recognize and appreciate his ability, and in due time, Stannis Baratheon would be more than just the master of ships and Lord of Dragonstone. He would be the Hand of the King, in not too long a time, Selyse expected. Jon Arryn the current Hand was well-advanced in age. Who else would King Robert trust to be his next Hand, if not his own brother, his own flesh and blood?

She would give Stannis plenty of sons and daughters. Perhaps one of their daughters would marry King Robert’s eldest son. Selyse would not be queen, but perhaps her daughter could, one day.

“Do you love him?” Delena’s voice jolted Selyse from her reverie.

“Who?”

“Lord Stannis, of course. Who else?”

“What a silly question, Delena. I barely know him. We have only met once. That is not enough time to begin to love anyone.”

“Will you love him, once you have known him?”

“I’m sure I will,” Selyse replied without hesitation. 


End file.
